As a bed used by a physically disabled person, a bed is available in which a part thereof supporting the upper half of a body is pivotally provided to be moved upward and downward and the upper half of the body can be raised from a condition where the person is lying down to a condition where the person is able to sit up and eat a meal or read a book.
Also, there are beds which are used for medical treatment and have a completely different purpose from the present invention, such as used for the medical treatment of the spinal cord as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1977/27472 and Japanese Patent No. 86424 published Jan. 27, 1903. The bed for medical treatment disclosed in the above-described Japanese Patent Publication No. 1977/27472 is designed to treat an unusual spinal cord in such a manner to change the posture of a body by pivoting somewhat rightward and leftward, moving somewhat forward and backward, or slightly twisting the foot of the bed. Also, the bed for medical treatment described in Japanese Patent No. 86424 is similarly designed to pivot the foot of the bed rightward and leftward.
Accordingly, either one of the beds is used for spinal cord treatment in such a manner that the upper half of the bed is fixed, while the lower half of the bed is moved to cure a deformation of the spinal cord.
In prior art beds, however, it has been very difficult for a physically handicapped person or a physically disabled aged person to turn 90 degrees by one-self and then assume a posture such that the person's feet are positioned above the floor to get out of bed without being helped or carried by a nurse.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a bed capable of easily changing the posture of a physically handicapped person or a physically disabled aged person from a posture of lying on the back to a posture convenient to get out of the bed or to be helped by a nurse.